


I Love You Snow Much

by WordsAblaze



Series: Witcher Fics [36]
Category: The Witcher (TV), Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Cuddling, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Slice of Life, Snow Day, Soft Eskel (The Witcher), Soft Jaskier | Dandelion, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, but oh boy this one is so soft, it wasn't written as such but it fits so why not?, it's been a while since i've written anything purely fluffy, it's not a front focus but this is part of my bakery au, no beta we die like jaskier doesn't, they're so in love it almost hurts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-28
Updated: 2020-12-28
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:15:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,654
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28389144
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WordsAblaze/pseuds/WordsAblaze
Summary: Jaskier had never really experienced the snow when he was young but Eskel is more than happy to indulge him in somewhat childish winter adventures involving snowmen, selfies, and snuggles...
Relationships: Eskel/Jaskier | Dandelion
Series: Witcher Fics [36]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1726360
Comments: 4
Kudos: 52





	I Love You Snow Much

**Author's Note:**

> it snowed where i live and so i immediately turned it into jaskel fluff, as one does !! this was partly inspired by a lovely convo with @ladyblanc_ru - thanks girl, ily <3

“Two more minutes…” Jaskier mumbles sleepily.

He’d ended up staying awake long into ungodly hours of the night after being inspired for another song yesterday and although he doesn’t know exactly what time it is, he’s pretty sure it’s somewhere close to no-thanks-o’clock. 

“Jas, you’re going to want to wake up for this,” Eskel whispers softly. Jaskier groans but knows that his favourite person in the whole wide world wouldn’t wake him up unless it was important so he grudgingly peels open his eyes, smiling softly when he does.

“Hey, gorgeous,” he mumbles as he sits up and wraps his arms around Eskel.

He doesn’t need to look at Eskel to know he’s blushing but to be fair, he couldn’t have looked at Eskel anyway because his attention is immediately caught by the window. Or rather, the view through the window. The perfectly white view of their street through the window.

Jaskier gasps, scrambling off the bed to push the curtains all the way aside, laughing when he confirms he’s not dreaming and it really had snowed overnight. After a moment of taking in the view of the usually average, now stunning road they live on, he turns back to Eskel to see the other man smiling in amusement. 

“We have snow!” he declares rather obviously before turning back to the view.

Eskel makes his way over to the window and wraps his arms around Jaskier’s waist, resting his chin on Jaskier’s shoulder. “You’re not going outside before you eat something.” 

Jaskier makes a face that Eskel only sees in his reflection. “Buzzkill.” 

“And how are you going to perform this weekend if you catch a cold?” Eskel asks, placing a soft kiss on Jaskier’s neck that sends a warm shiver through him. 

“I hate it when you go all logical on me, darling,” Jaskier complains, then swivels on the spot and raises an eyebrow. “Also, what do you mean by before _I_ go outside? Aren’t you coming?”

Eskel shrugs. “I thought you’d go with your friends.” 

Not for the first time, Jaskier wishes he could beat the insecurity inside his boyfriend with a stick. Or a sword. Or an axe. Or anything else that would kill it, really. He sighs dramatically before placing his hands on either side of Eskel’s face. “Like hell I’m going to enjoy the first snow we’ve had in years with anyone other than _you_.”

“Are you sure?” Eskel asks. It really has been years since they’ve had snow where they live and he would hate for Jaskier to give him the day when he has so many other people to spend it with, especially since Eskel had visited his family the year before, where there’d been so much snow they’d literally been snowed in.

Jaskier leans up and kisses him. 

When he pulls back, he tilts his head to one side with a small smirk. “Do you need any more convincing or can we go find breakfast now?”

Eskel laughs, his eyes practically glowing even though they haven’t even gone outside and done anything fun yet. “Alright, fine. Don’t take too long polishing your nose or whatever.”

Jaskier splutters in mock outrage as Eskel makes his way to the kitchen, choosing to make toast because it’s the quickest option and he’s pretty sure Jaskier would murder him if he started properly cooking. He makes coffee as well, even though he’d argue that Jaskier may as well have caffeine in his very genes with the way he acts most of the time.

“Ooh, smells good!” Jaskier grins as he swings into the kitchen, sparing a brief moment to kiss Eskel again before starting on a piece of toast. 

It doesn’t take them long to finish eating, after which Eskel throws the warmest coat he can find at Jaskier, raising his eyebrows as if daring him to complain that it’s not fashionable enough. He doesn’t, but he does stick his tongue out and pointedly slip on the weird, barely protective gloves he’d bought that allow for using a phone through the material. 

“Don’t blame me if your fingers fall off,” Eskel grumbles as he pulls on his own, properly formed gloves.

Jaskier hums. “Yes okay, _mother_ , can we go now?”

And so they do.

Jaskier slips his hands into Eskel’s as soon as they lock the door behind them and although Eskel can barely feel it through his gloves, he adores the feeling of Jaskier’s fingers entwined with his own. He doesn’t adore it quite as much when Jaskier keeps pulling him over to countless trees and flowers so he can take pictures of the snow on them because _nature is beautiful and I am going to write so many songs about this, just you wait,_ but he can’t really bring himself to be annoyed, aside from when Jaskier thinks he’s being subtle and sneaks in some selfies.

Regardless, they make it to the park. Jaskier laughs as soon as they get there, squeezing Eskel’s hand in excitement. “We get to make the first footsteps!”

“After you,” Eskel says, not quite as bothered about such things.

Jaskier grins at him, letting go of his hand and practically sprinting over the grass until he reaches just past the middle of the park, where he collapses. For a moment, Eskel is filled with the awful fear that something’s gone wrong, but then Jaskier lifts an arm in the air and makes a peace sign because of course he does, the dramatic idiot that he is.

By the time Eskel reaches him, which is actually quite a while because he refuses to run and embarrass himself by slipping, he’s saying something into his camera. He grins up at Eskel when he arrives, pointing the phone at him. “...and look who it is, the gorgeous man himself! I love him snow much but he really took his sweet time getting over here as if I wasn’t eagerly waiting for him to _hey-_!” 

Eskel rolls his eyes at the camera before ending the video, holding a hand out for Jaskier, who pouts before taking it, swinging himself up and into Eskel, almost knocking the two of them over. 

“I thought you’d died,” Eskel teases.

Jaskier scoffs. “Do I look like someone who dies, darling?” 

Eskel shrugs because he doesn’t really know what to say to that and Jaskier folds his arms. “Moving on because we are not allowed to ruin my snow day by talking about death. Now, go and find some snow!” 

Unfortunately, Eskel is too busy regretting not having invited Jaskier over for Christmas the year before so he could have enjoyed all the snow there to realise he’s meant to be arming himself. He _does_ notice when snow lands right in his ear though.

Cursing, he looks up to see Jaskier biting his lip, clearly torn between victory and concern. He chooses victory when Eskel sighs, blowing a kiss and going to pick up more snow. Eskel takes the chance to do the same, this time ready for when Jaskier throws another snowball, throwing back two at the same time and laughing when one catches the lower half of Jaskier’s face.

“That’s against the rules!” Jaskier yells, spluttering. 

Eskel laughs. “I thought you said rules are for cowards?”

He gets a snowball to the chest as a reply. And another to his shoulder as he bends down to gather more snow, both dissolving into a spray of white when they hit him. He catches the back of Jaskier’s head when he stands and grins at the subsequent stream of soft swearing but this time doesn’t let it distract him from the way Jaskier is clearly readying himself to attack again.

They’re both covered in bits of snow by the time they pause, Jaskier letting his head drop onto Eskel’s shoulder with a groan. “Where on earth do you get your stamina?”

Eskel shrugs, then curls an arm around Jaskier so he doesn’t fall over. “You’re not so bad yourself.” 

Jaskier chuckles, then lifts his head up and loops his arms around Eskel’s neck. Eskel keeps one arm around Jaskier’s waist, using his free hand to carefully brush any flakes of snow off his eyebrows, marvelling at how his Jaskier’s eyes are somehow brighter and more blue than the sky behind him.

“I love you,” Jaskier murmurs. 

Despite the way he can’t feel his feet, the words send warmth all the way down to Eskel’s bones themselves. He uses his free hand to pull Jaskier closer and kiss the snow off his slightly frozen but still perfect lips, smiling when one of Jaskier’s hands settles in his hair, the other staying curled around his neck to keep them close.

Eskel could honestly live in the moment forever. But he doesn’t have to because they share so many just like it all the time, for which he can never thank the universe and their lucky stars and everything else that brought and kept them together enough.

“And I love you back,” Eskel murmurs in return.

Jaskier beams, untangling himself. “Can we build a snowman?”

“I thought you were tired?” Eskel asks, but Jaskier only shrugs and crouches down, starting to roll some snow together.

Laughing quietly, Eskel crouches and starts rolling snow as well. Jaskier smiles at the way Eskel so easily indulges him, taking a couple of pictures before his boyfriend notices and then turning back to his lopsided shape to try and transform it into something remotely useful. Eskel finishes his part first, and Jaskier’s jaw drops when he sees how tall he’d managed to make the base of their snowman. 

“I can’t believe you keep telling me you never really liked building snowmen when you’re so good at it. I mean, seriously?” Jaskier places his hands on his hips.

Eskel chuckles, rubbing the back of his neck. “Well, I wasn’t lying.”

“I didn’t say you were,” Jaskier says as he places whatever his lopsided shape is atop Eskel’s almost perfect sphere, “but you could have warned me I was working with a professional.” 

“Yours isn’t… bad,” Eskel offers. 

Jaskier snorts, then leans up to kiss Eskel’s cheek. “You’re sweet but come on, I never stood a chance when you have more experience anyway.”

It still baffles Eskel that Jaskier had never truly experienced snow until he’d moved out for university but it only makes him all the more glad they’d ended up together because Jaskier’s extreme excitement over winter weather is contagious and he adores everything about it.

“Come on, I want to finish him,” Jaskier all but whines, gathering more snow for the snowman’s head.

Eskel resists the urge to comment on Jaskier’s phrasing and gathers some stray twigs for the arms along with two berries from the nearest bush for the eyes. He forgets all about the mouth, only noticing anything is missing when Jaskier facepalms and points at his lips with a barely contained smirk.

“Well, I can’t do everything, can I?” Eskel mutters.

Jaskier wobbles to his feet and elbows him. “Shut up, you love me really.” 

“If you say so,” Eskel replies, adding some snow to where the snowman looks like it’s about to tilt over.

“Would you kiss a leaf?” Jaskier asks as he returns.

Eskel frowns. “Only if I wanted to contract some kind of disease.” 

Jaskier groans, gently shoving him aside to place the oddly-shaped leaf he’d found in place of their snowman’s mouth. “It’s not like he’s about to kiss anyone any time soon anyway,” he says as if having seriously considered whether snow and leaves would make for an enjoyable display of affection.

“Shame,” Eskel mutters. 

Once they finish adding the finishing touches, Jaskier beams at Eskel like his world is complete. "He's perfect! I love him _snow_ _much_ but not as much as I love you," he giggles, kissing Eskel again, who doesn't know if he's meant to be amused or flattered or just generally in love.

Half a dozen pictures and half a dozen more later, they stand up. Jaskier takes Eskel’s hand and pulls him over to a cleaner patch of snow, where he grins and flops onto the ground. Eskel sighs at the thudding noise, pinching the bridge of his nose and hoping Jaskier doesn’t spend the whole evening begging for a massage.

Jaskier on the other hand just grins at how clear the sky is. It’s vast and blue and perfectly smooth and he itches to write a song about it. That, and the way Eskel looks like an angel in his ridiculously insulated coat, the same one he’s offered to Jaskier so many times in the past when his own more style-focused outfits have left him shaking from the cold.

“Eskel, my darling,” Jaskier drawls, “won’t you lie down with me?”

Of course he will. Jaskier may be a dramatic idiot but he’s _Eskel’s_ dramatic idiot of choice and his requests are not so easily refused. It takes a few seconds of manoeuvring but he settles beside Jaskier, a small gasp escaping him as the already-quiet world seems to quieten even more and all he can hear is his own heartbeat. 

“Isn’t it a beautiful view?” Jaskier asks breathlessly. 

Eskel turns to him, his eyes travelling over the soft redness spilling across his cheeks, the wide smile on his face, the glittering flakes of snow on the fluffy hood of his coat, and the sparkle in his eyes. “The most beautiful one I’ve ever seen,” he agrees.

Jaskier frowns before turning to meet his gaze and blushing as if his face wasn’t already flushed enough. For once, he stays silent, finding Eskel’s hands and interlocking their fingers together, neither of them wanting to move or disrupt the stillness around them. And it’s not that either of them decides they’ve had enough peace for one day but the ground is freezing and Eskel decides it’s been long enough when Jaskier starts shivering. 

He pulls himself to his feet, tugging Jaskier upright as he does despite his protests. “You are going to freeze,” Eskel tells him, “and I don’t want a frozen boyfriend.”

“I love you so much,” Jaskier whispers.

Eskel blinks. It’s not that confessions of love are rare for Jaskier, they’re more often than not given far more than strictly necessary, but there’s something so sincere and delicate about Jaskier’s voice that Eskel can’t avoid the lump that threatens to build in the back of his throat.

“I love you more than anything,” Jaskier adds before kissing away the reply Eskel hasn’t yet been able to form.

He doesn’t form one even as Jaskier takes his hand once again, this time leading them back out of the park, pausing once or twice to take a few more photos and wave goodbye to their snowman before they finally leave and get back to their street. 

“And I, you,” Eskel finally replies as they reach the front door of their apartment complex, fishing the keys out of his pocket since he hadn’t trusted Jaskier not to lose them again.

Jaskier grins, slipping his gloves off and stamping his feet before they make their way inside where Eskel silently persuades Jaskier to slide out of his coat before collapsing onto the rug. Unlike in the park, Eskel doesn’t join him in lying down and letting the world fade away again, instead hanging up their coats before heading straight for the kitchen.

“Eskel, where did you go?” Jaskier eventually calls from his position on the floor, grumbling to himself when he doesn’t get a response and reluctantly pulling himself to his feet so he can go find his boyfriend to use as a personal heater.

He takes another photo of Eskel, who seems to be stirring something into a mug with a strangely fond expression on his face, before making his way over and wrapping his arms around the other man the same way he’d done in reverse only hours ago. “What are you upto, hmm?”

Eskel chuckles. “Hot chocolate. Absolutely necessary after spending time in the snow.”

“What, doctor’s orders?” Jaskier laughs.

“More importantly, _Vesemir’s_ orders,” Eskel corrects, nudging Jaskier back towards the living room. “Go find a blanket, I’ll be right there.”

Jaskier sighs loudly but does as he’s told, pulling up their largest blanket - one that just so happens to be covered in drawings of goats because Eskel had fallen in love with it and Jaskier could never have lived with himself if he’d denied his boyfriend something that made him so happy - and waiting none too patiently, taking the opportunity to send over all the pictures he’d taken on their adventure. 

“Alright, move over,” Eskel orders as he emerges with two mugs - ones that just so happen to be shaped so they look like they’re hugging when put together because Jaskier had fallen in love with them and Eskel hadn’t even hesitated before agreeing to buy them even though they’re really sort of impractical. 

He hands Jaskier the blue mug, keeping the red one for himself, and the two of them settle on the couch, Eskel with one arm around Jaskier’s shoulders and Jaskier with one arm around Eskel’s waist. Being as close to one another as physically possible is worth the risk of spilled beverages and anyway, Eskel had made sure their drinks weren’t boiling to avoid any major disasters.

“How do you always get this to taste so good?” Jaskier asks the same way he does every time Eskel makes him any kind of drink.

“Magic,” Eskel replies, kissing the top of Jaskier’s head. 

Jaskier laughs, snuggling into their embrace even more. “Mhm, you are pretty magical. Pretty _and_ magical. I love you. I love you _snow_ much.” 

Eskel can feel his face heat up again, and not because of the hot chocolate, but he hides it behind feigning exasperation at yet another repeat of Jaskier's admittedly cute but still terrible pun. He doesn’t reply at all this time but he knows Jaskier doesn’t mind, both of them focusing on their drinks until their mugs are empty. 

“Would you mind if I fell asleep?” Jaskier mumbles, turning and leaning almost entirely on Eskel, both of his arms now curled around him.

“You know I wouldn’t,” Eskel says, pushing Jaskier’s hair out of his eyes and smiling when he hums happily, already knowing they’re both going to wake up with aching or numb limbs later but also knowing that it will have been worth it.

“You’re the best,” Jaskier announces after a moment, yawning despite them only having spent a few hours outside. To be fair, though, he probably hadn’t gotten more than a couple hours the night before, so Eskel doesn’t feel like teasing him about it.

Only when he’s sure Jaskier is asleep does he shift so he’s leaning on the arm of the couch, adjusting them so they’re both a little more comfortable before kissing the top of Jaskier’s head again. Picking his phone up from the table next to him, he opens the gallery and scrolls through the photos that Jaskier has sent him in backwards order, with the occasional sigh when he gets to the photos of himself that he didn’t know Jaskier was taking but will definitely be immediately used as his lockscreen, until he gets to the video from when Jaskier had first collapsed into the snow.

 _“I’m lying in snow, actual snow! Isn’t that great?”_ Jaskier grins at the camera, and Eskel has to pause it to cherish the look on his face before pressing play again. _“I know you’re going to be watching this when I’m busy or asleep so once again, thank you for indulging me, Eskel. It means a lot to me that you’ve let me be a child again with you.”_

Eskel is briefly filled with rage once more, a rage directed towards Jaskier’s parents who, despite existing where Eskel’s own had not, had left a gap in Jaskier’s life where a normal childhood should have been. 

_“And before you get all grumpy, don’t. I love you so much and meeting you was worth everything. Well, all the things that came after were also worth it but I don’t need to go into everything because you know what I mean.”_

That he does. One thing the two of them have always shared from the very first time they’d met was being able to read one another almost perfectly. Not all the time, sure, but they never seemed to suffer from the sheer amount of miscommunication that some of their mutual acquaintances had.

 _“Anyway, uhm, I just wanted to say that I got you an invite to come with me over the weekend so we can spend new year’s in the snow too. Not that I knew we’d already have had a snow day before then so now I don’t know how to ask without it being awkward, hence this video… and look who it is, the gorgeous man himself!_ ”

Eskel blinks as the bit he remembers plays out, including his own eye-roll. He replays the video twice, partly due to disbelief but also because Jaskier is talking extremely fast, most definitely not tearing up as he realises Jaskier must have picked up on his reluctance for them to part just before the new year even though he’d been trying his best not to hold him back from his music.

“You were wrong earlier, Jas,” Eskel murmurs into Jaskier’s hair, “because actually, _you’re_ the best.”

When Jaskier curls himself a little tighter around Eskel even whilst asleep, there’s absolutely no doubt left in Eskel’s mind that there’s nobody he’d want to spend not only this new year’s but every other new year’s for the rest of his life with. But that’s a conversation for another day so he just puts the phone down and pulls the blanket up over Jaskier, melting into the warmth of falling asleep next to his favourite person, content. 

**Author's Note:**

> i tried really hard not to pepper in angst like i've been doing with all my other wips lately and i'm not sure i was entirely successful but hey, i'm pretty happy with how it turned out :)  
> also, this'll be the last thing i post this year so see you on the other side <3
> 
> thanks for reading !! toss a kudos/comment? x


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